FOI request (FOI-94703491)

House builds

Requested Wed 07 November 2018
Responded Fri 16 November 2018

You are being sent this letter because as you may be aware,
from 1 April 2016 the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act
2015 (as amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016) places a
number of obligations on all relevant authorities. These
include:

a. To keep a register of individuals and associations of
individuals who wish to acquire serviced plots of land to build
their own homes in the authority's area and to have regard to
those registers in carrying out their planning, housing, land
disposal and regeneration functions.

b. To publicise its register.

c. To give suitable development permission in respect of
enough serviced plots to meet the demand.

The obligation to give suitable development permissions is
determined by reference to individual base periods, the most
recent of which ran from 31 October 2017 to 30 October 2018
inclusive. Authorities have been provided with New Burden money
to support this work.

I am writing to request the answers to the questions that
are set out below. In setting out the data request I have
focused on information of direct relevance to the
implementation and required delivery under the Act. The
responses should therefore be readily reportable back to us
within the £450 / 18 hour limit for a Freedom of
Information Request.

1. How many entries have been added to your register between
31 October 2017 and 30 October 2018?

a. Individual [number]

b. Group [number]

c. Individuals within groups [number]

2. How many entries on your register in total as at 30
October 2018?

a. Individual [number]

b. Group [number]

c. Individuals within groups [number]

3. As at 30 October 2018 are you keeping specific records as
to the number of planning permissions for serviced plots
suitable for self and custom build that have been granted from
1 April 2016 to 30 October 2018 so as to track your statutory
obligations? [yes/no]

a. If so, how many permissions have you granted?
[number]

4. Have you introduced a local connection test? [yes/no]

a. If so, from what date did this apply? [free text]

b. If so, how many entries on part one of the register at 30
October 2018?

i. Individuals [number]

ii. Groups [number]

c. If so how many entries on part two of the register at 30
October 2018?

i. Individuals [number]

ii. Groups [number]

5. Have you introduced a financial viability test?
[yes/no]

a. If so, from what date did this apply? [date]

6. Have you implemented a charge for entry onto the
register? [yes/no]

a. If so, what is the charge (amount, frequency)? [free
text]

7. In the period from 31 October 2017 to 30 October 2018
have you publicised your register? [yes/no]

a. If so, please provide a high-level outline to the main
methods of publicity the authority has undertaken in that
period? [free text]